OTTAWA Nov 6 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau said on Friday he was disappointed at the U.S. decision
to block the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline but didn't see it
standing in the way of improving relations between the two
countries.

Canada's newly elected Liberal government also reiterated it
was prepared to support domestic pipeline projects like
TransCanada Corp's Keystone alternative Energy East,
but only if there was buy-in from local communities.

While he openly backed Keystone XL ahead of last month's
Canadian election, Trudeau made clear he would adopt a different
tack than the outgoing Conservatives, who irritated the U.S.
administration with constant pressure to approve the
cross-border pipeline.

"The Canada-U.S. relationship is much bigger than any one
project and I look forward to a fresh start with President Obama
to strengthen our remarkable ties in a spirit of friendship and
cooperation," the Liberal leader stated.

"We are disappointed by the decision but respect the right
of the United States to make the decision."

By contrast, prominent opposition Conservative legislator
Jason Kenney characterized the U.S. move as "insulting" and
accused Trudeau of waving the white flag.

Trudeau has been vocal about the need to fight global
warming and had not raised the pipeline with Obama when the
President congratulated him on his electoral victory last month.
He plans to meet Obama during a Nov. 15-16 summit in Turkey.
Continued...